Aurora jumped on the bed. "I'm so tired. These past days had been tough," she said. Joshua knew Aurora's life had turned in a matter of days. He was trying his best to help her, but only time would heal her wounds.
When she took off her black cloak, Joshua could not help but praise internally how gorgeous she was.
"You're beautiful," Joshua said. Aurora looked at him and blushed.
"Thank you for helping me out, Josh. You've been good for me." Aurora felt Joshua's warm lips soon after. He could not resist her charms, and she felt the same way about him.
Once again, their lips met, and that tender feeling enveloped both of them.
~~~~
The night had been marvelous. Joshua had the chance to sleep with Aurora and kiss her all night. What else he could ask for? But as the next day came, they had important things to attend to.
Aurora grabbed her black cloak, kissed Joshua, and said. "Take care. See you at night."
"You too," Joshua said. With that, she left the room, and only her perfume stayed.
Khali had gone to that anonymous customer that needed a mage. Joshua hoped that it went smoothly and more coins went into their pockets. Leo said that he needed some time to perform the spell to look like a human, so Joshua decided to visit him tomorrow.
There weren't a lot of ways to earn some quick money, at least not safe ways.
"You want to participate in the illegal fights?" A sturdy bodyguard said. He was guarding the entrance of an underground arena. All sorts of people fought there, and all fights had a level range, that way one would not suffer much.
Take Joshua for example. He was level 5, so he could fight people ranging from level 1 to 10. The only equipment they could use was the ones provided by the arena, so no one could take advantage of their wealth.
"Fill this application and come back at night." The man handed Joshua a paper and gestured for him to leave the place.
The fights were all illegal. Joshua got the information about it after punching some people in an alley.
"I'm almost certain the authorities also know about this arena but don't do anything about it. Almost everyone that fights there is a criminal anyway, so if they die, it's a win for the city. And almost all rich people bet in those fights too." Joshua thought.
Fighting in that arena would be dangerous. All fights were to the death, and for that reason, Joshua decided to not tell about it to Aurora. He was taking a great risk, but it was for good reason. They would die if their pursuers find them, and fighting there only had a possibility of that outcome.
Joshua remembered that he had a skill perfect for that situation.
[Ashen One(Divine Grade): The Phoenix can rise from the ashes and be born anew, so does you. With this skill you can change your appearance, as well as the information others can see.]
[Cost: 0]
He used it and changed his face entirely. Joshua was not a blond youth with deep blue eyes. He thought about changing his display level to 1, so that way he could fight weaker opponents. But after he tried it, the skill itself stated that people stronger than him would see his true level.
It was a no-no. It was obvious that some high-leveled figures were behind that underground arena, and Joshua's disguise would be destroyed in a blink of an eye.
"It's not like I can't fight people higher level than me. Look what I've done to that pile of bones…" Joshua thought.
~~~~
A black-cloaked figure walked through an alley in the middle of the night. Beggars asked for a spare coin, but the man did not even gaze at them. Soon, a sturdy man was guarding a door.
"You want to participate in the fights? Fill this, quickly."
Joshua had changed his appearance this time, so the man did not remember him. All sorts of fake information were written in that form, and Joshua was not worried about it. He would soon leave the city, and it was not as if they could chase a man that did not exist in the first place.
For that night, he had the nickname of Frenzied Sword. All fighters had to write their real name, and also a name for the arena. Frenzied Sword was the one Joshua chose.
The first thing Joshua saw behind the door was a staircase that lead down. Screams entered his ears as he got deeper, and he realized that these were the people betting in the fights.
Soon a huge room entered Joshua's sight. An arena stood in the middle. It was like a pit, so the fighters stood beneath the watchers. A lot of chairs and benches were placed so that everyone had a place to sit and enjoy the massacre. It even had a more luxurious room, presumably for those rich betters.
"You're one of the fights, right? A thin middle-aged man said to Joshua.
Joshua simply nodded in response.
"Go there, and then to the left." The man pointed in a direction at the corner of the room. "It's the waiting room. Someone will call you up when is your fight."
It would still take some time for the fights to start, as the staff members were making the final arrangements. For that reason, Joshua waited in a room filled with others fights with similar levels to his own.
Everyone in that room had fierce gazes, and it was clear that they were experienced fighters. They all saw Joshua as prey. It was to be expected. All of them were older and filled with scars of battles. Joshua looked like a baby to them.
Joshua went to the corner to avoid getting too close to them. He thought he would be able to rest for a bit before his fight, but not long after, someone came.
"Frenzied Sword and Iron Fist. Please, follow me."